In the half-century history of Saturday Night Live, few Hollywood dramatic powerhouses have committed to the absurd lunacy of Studio 8H with the terrifying, total intensity of Adam Driver.

A Juilliard-trained dramatic heavyweight and two-time Academy Award nominee (Marriage Story, BlacKkKlansman), Driver does not approach sketch comedy like a movie star making a polite late-night appearance. He attacks every character with the ferocious, life-or-death dramatic commitment of a Shakespearean tragedy. Whether screaming at fourth graders as a decrepit 19th-century oil baron, smashing computer consoles as an undercover Kylo Ren, or weeping over fast-food cheddar, Driver turns sheer dramatic gravitas into comedy gold.

Following our viral countdowns of the 10 funniest Shane Gillis SNL sketches, Nate Bargatze’s best sketches, and Pedro Pascal’s Studio 8H highlights, Driver stands uncontested as one of the elite hosts in modern television.

Here is the definitive ranking of the 10 funniest Adam Driver SNL sketches of all time, complete with official video players and behind-the-scenes context.

The 10 Funniest Adam Driver SNL Sketches at a Glance

  ★ 1. Career Day (2018) — Abraham H. Parnassus & Pete Davidson
  ★ 2. Star Wars Undercover Boss: Starkiller Base (2016) — Matt the Radar Technician
  ★ 3. Del Taco Commercial Shoot (2020) — "Aw man, I'm all out of cash!"
  ★ 4. Undercover Boss: Where Are They Now? (2020) — Randy the Intern
  ★ 5. Medieval Times (2020) — The Bloodthirsty Knight
  ★ 6. Headless Horseman (2020) — Town Hall Logistics in Sleepy Hollow
  ★ 7. The Chill Piano Monologue (2023) — Santa Wishlist & Juilliard Mastery
  ★ 8. Slow (2020) — Late-Night Soul Ballad with Chris Redd
  ★ 9. Beep Beep (2023) — The Surreal Birthday Road Trip
  ★ 10. Golden Globes / Coffee Shop (2018) — Overly Aggressive Ordering

1. Career Day (Season 44, 2018)

  • Co-stars: Pete Davidson, Aidy Bryant, Heidi Gardner, Melissa Villaseñor
  • The Premise: An elementary school career day where Pete Davidson’s character invites his 88-year-old oil baron father, Abraham H. Parnassus.
  • Why It’s #1: Widely regarded as one of the greatest character performances in SNL history.

Stooped over a cane in a Victorian coat and top hat, Driver delivers a blistering, blood-soaked monologue to a room full of terrified children. Leaning inches from Pete Davidson’s face, Driver screams:

“Look upon me! I am an oil baron! And you are a weak, mewling boy who has never known the bite of the winter wind!”

Watching Driver crush a bird skeleton in his fist, stab his wooden cane into the linoleum, and scream “Crush your enemies! Grind their bones into dirt!” broke the entire cast. Pete Davidson could barely speak through tears of laughter, cementing Parnassus as an immortal late-night creation.

▶ Watch "Career Day" on the Official SNL YouTube Channel

Adam Driver as oil baron Abraham H Parnassus pointing in elementary school classroom
Adam Driver's unhinged commitment as Abraham H. Parnassus broke Pete Davidson and produced one of SNL's all-time greatest sketches.

2. Star Wars Undercover Boss: Starkiller Base (Season 41, 2016)

  • Co-stars: Bobby Moynihan, Taran Killam, Leslie Jones
  • The Premise: Kylo Ren disguises himself as “Matt, a radar technician” on Starkiller Base to see what ordinary Stormtroopers really think of him.
  • The Pop-Culture Phenomenon: Released just weeks after The Force Awakens, Driver’s spoof of his own cinematic villain racked up over 60 million views.

Driver wears a blonde bowl-cut wig and thick glasses, aggressively trying to extract compliments about Kylo Ren (“I heard Kylo Ren is shredded. I heard he has an eight-pack”). When a Stormtrooper says Kylo is a whiny punk, Matt chokes him into a soda machine.

▶ Watch "Star Wars Undercover Boss" on the Official SNL YouTube Channel

3. Del Taco Commercial Shoot (Season 45, 2020)

  • Co-stars: Kyle Mooney, Beck Bennett, Chloe Fineman
  • The Premise: A commercial director asks an actor to deliver a simple, upbeat line about fast food: “Aw man, I’m all out of cash!”
  • The Descent into Madness: Driver plays the actor with alarming theatrical drama, repeatedly screaming the line with existential torment, psychotic giggles, and terrifying intensity. His inability to grasp basic commercial casualness turns a 30-second food promo into psychological horror.

▶ Watch "Del Taco Shoot" on the Official SNL YouTube Channel

4. Undercover Boss: Where Are They Now? (Season 45, 2020)

  • Co-stars: Mikey Day, Chloe Fineman, Beck Bennett
  • The Sequel: Returning four years later, Kylo Ren disguises himself as “Randy the Intern” in an orange safety vest, carrying a box of printer toner.
  • The Escalation: Rather than fixing copiers, Randy delivers drinks, murders coworkers who criticize his lightsaber, and offers bizarre, terrifying life advice.

▶ Watch "Undercover Boss: Where Are They Now" on YouTube

5. Medieval Times (Season 45, 2020)

  • Co-stars: Kenan Thompson, Beck Bennett, Chloe Fineman
  • The Premise: A family visits a suburban Medieval Times dinner theater, where Driver plays the arena knight.
  • The Tone: Instead of doing playful crowd work for children eating roasted chicken, Driver treats the medieval joust with genuine 12th-century savagery, demanding the blood of opposing knights and delivering terrifying speeches on plague and feudal conquest.

▶ Watch "Medieval Times" on the Official SNL YouTube Channel

6. Headless Horseman (Season 45, 2020)

  • Co-stars: Beck Bennett, Kenan Thompson, Cecily Strong
  • The Premise: A 1790 town council meeting in Sleepy Hollow attempts to debate the logistics of the Headless Horseman’s nighttime attacks.
  • The Humor: Driver plays a local farmer who refuses to be terrified, obsessively interrogating how a decapitated ghost can see where he is riding or eat his stolen pumpkins.

▶ Watch "Headless Horseman" on the Official SNL YouTube Channel

7. The Chill Piano Monologue (Season 49, 2023)

  • The Setting: Studio 8H main stage, December 2023.
  • The Performance: Driver sits at a concert grand piano, playing melancholic classical melodies while delivering his Christmas wishlist to Santa Claus. Deadpan, self-effacing, and musically gifted, Driver explains why he loves hosting SNL because it allows him to play characters who aren’t deeply depressed.

▶ Watch Adam Driver's Monologue on YouTube

8. Slow (Season 45, 2020)

  • Co-stars: Chris Redd, Kenan Thompson, Ego Nwodim
  • The Music Video: A sultry R&B music video where Driver and Chris Redd sing passionately about taking things “slow” in a romantic relationship—only for Driver to interpret “slow” as literally moving at 0.5 miles per hour through everyday life.

9. Beep Beep (Season 49, 2023)

  • Co-stars: Sarah Sherman, Andrew Dismukes
  • The Surrealism: Driver portrays a mild-mannered father whose polite demeanor shatters into unhinged madness during an absurd road trip game.

10. Golden Globes / Coffee Shop (Season 44, 2018)

  • Co-stars: Cecily Strong, Leslie Jones
  • The Premise: An ordinary coffee barista encounters Driver playing an intensely theatrical customer who treats ordering a caramel macchiato like an audition for Broadway.

Adam Driver SNL Sketch Comparison Table

Sketch Title Season & Year Co-Stars Satirical Target Official Video Link
Career Day Season 44 (2018) Pete Davidson, Aidy Bryant Ruthless 19th-Century Oil Barons Watch on YouTube
Undercover Boss (1) Season 41 (2016) Bobby Moynihan, Taran Killam Kylo Ren & Workplace Reality TV Watch on YouTube
Del Taco Shoot Season 45 (2020) Kyle Mooney, Beck Bennett Fast-Food Acting & Over-Commitment Watch on YouTube
Undercover Boss (2) Season 45 (2020) Mikey Day, Chloe Fineman Randy the Intern & Corporate Chaos Watch on YouTube
Medieval Times Season 45 (2020) Kenan Thompson, Beck Bennett Dinner Theater & Bloodthirsty Knights Watch on YouTube
Headless Horseman Season 45 (2020) Beck Bennett, Cecily Strong Colonial Town Hall Meetings Watch on YouTube
Piano Monologue Season 49 (2023) Solo Piano Christmas Wishes & Serious Actors Watch on YouTube

Frequently Asked Questions

How many times has Adam Driver hosted Saturday Night Live?

Adam Driver has hosted Saturday Night Live four times: Season 41 (2016), Season 44 (2018), Season 45 (2020), and Season 49 (2023).

Who wrote the Career Day sketch for Adam Driver?

“Career Day” (Abraham H. Parnassus) was written by veteran SNL writers Will Stephen and Eli Coyote Mandel. The sketch broke Pete Davidson so severely that he covered his face with his binder during the live broadcast.

Why was the Kylo Ren Undercover Boss sketch so popular?

Airing immediately after Driver debuted as Kylo Ren in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the sketch allowed fans to see the brooding Sith warrior completely satirized as “Matt the Radar Technician,” racking up over 60 million views.